Monday Memory: Comfort Zone

September 3, 2007

Yep, OK--laugh away, people. That is me in a leotard looking dreamily into space, which is what teenage girls used to do. And the segue into this memory....This afternoon I watched my little girl venture outside her comfort zone. She really, really, really wanted to do this new Show Choir that is part of Southern Kids in Theater (SKIT). The only thing is...none of her friends signed up in time, so she had to decide to do something brand new without any of her trusty sidekicks. So I got to thinking about various times that I stepped out of my comfort zone when I was a girl to do something I really wanted to do. I remembered several, but this particular memory comes with a photograph, thus--the memory of me as dancer.

My senior year in high school I finally did something I'd always wanted to do: take a dance class. Modern Dance was an elective in our school, and a couple of my friends had been taking it for years. I never considered myself to be of the dancing type, although I'd always secretly yearned for ballet shoes, a tight bun (that's singular) and a supremely arched back. Boy, was it ever fun masquerading as a dancer that year! I was way out of my comfort zones: the water (swimming and sailing), the slopes (skiing), the band (flute and piccolo), and the books. I am ever so glad I took the chance that year of being foolish. I had such a great time and learned all kinds of things. My friend Robin and I choreographed a dance for our final project and got to perform it on stage. I learned about Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan. AND--I got to wear a leotard.